WWDC 2026: Apple's AI, Siri, and software updates
Every June, Apple hosts its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). It’s as much a showcase of the company’s latest software and technologies as it is an opportunity for developers all over the world. . .
Every June, Apple hosts its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). It’s as much a showcase of the company’s latest software and technologies as it is an opportunity for developers all over the world to get together. All eyes are on Apple at this year’s WWDC as the company is widely expected to unveil a more personalised Siri alongside a broader wave of AI initiatives aimed at helping it catch up with rivals such as Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft. Beyond AI, WWDC 2026 is also expected to show off the next major releases of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS. Apart from the usual design refinements and performance enhancements, here’s what else to expect from this year’s conference. 1. Siri Re-Launch2. iOS 27 – Optimised for Foldable?3. macOS 27 – Ushering in The Era of Touchscreen Mac?4. visionOS – Pivoting to Smart Glasses?Siri Re-LaunchApple says the next version of Siri would be “more natural, more contextually relevant, and more personal”. Photo: AppleApple’s long-promised Siri overhaul has now been more than two years in the making. After previewing a “more natural, more contextually relevant, and more personal”Siri at WWDC 2024, Apple announced in March 2025 thatthe rollout would be delayed, with the features arriving “in the coming year. ”Earlier this year, Apple also revealeda multi-year collaboration with Googletointegrate the latter’s Gemini AI models into the next-generation Siriand future Apple Intelligence features. Recent reports suggest the revamped Siricould debut in beta formas part of iOS 27. This would not be unprecedented for Apple. Last year’s Apple Intelligence rollout was alsolabelled as a beta experience. Going further back, features such as Portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus first launched in beta with iOS 10. 1 back in 2016. The next-generation Siri is also rumoured to evolve beyond a traditional voice assistant. Reports suggest Apple may offer Siri asa standalone appwith capabilities similar to today’s conversational AI chatbots. It is expected to bedeeply integrated across Apple devicesand apps while alsosupporting selected third-party AI services. Details regarding how this might work are scarce at the moment, so it will be very intriguing to see how Apple might pull this off and implement things. For Apple, WWDC 2026 could be one of its most important developer conferences in years. The company is under growing pressure to prove that it can compete meaningfully in the generative AI race while maintaining its signature focus on privacy, ecosystem integration, and user experience. iOS 27 – Optimised for Foldable?Apple introduced a system-wide Liquid Glass design language on iOS 26. The upcoming iOS 27 is expected to be optimised for the foldable form factor. Photo: AppleSince Apple is widely expected todebut its first foldable iPhone later this year, it’s no surprise that iOS 27 will have features optimised for this new foldable form factor. According to Bloomberg, iOS 27 could representone of Apple’s most significant software evolutions yet. The update is said to introduce amore iPad-like interfacecapable of running two apps side-by-side, with severalproductivity-focused featuresfrom iPadOS potentially making their way to the iPhone. Rather than introducing another major visual redesign following last year’s overhaul, iOS 27 will reportedly focus more heavily on refining the overall software experience. Apple is said to beprioritising performance improvements,stability enhancements, bug fixes, and reducing software bloat across the operating system. The move suggests Apple is preparing iOS for a new generation of devices beyond the traditional slab smartphone. While Apple’s first foldable iPhone is widely expected to adopta book-style design, other reports suggest that the company is alsoconsidering a flip-style form factor. macOS 27 – Ushering in The Era of Touchscreen Mac?Apple is expected to take a “Snow Leopard” approach for the next macOS update, where the focus is on performance and stability enhancements. Similar to iOS 27, Apple will focus heavily onperformanceandstability improvementsfor macOS amid growing criticisms surrounding the Liquid Glass redesign. Beyond optimisation work, Apple is also reportedly preparingtouchscreen supportfor macOS ahead of the launch ofa rumoured high-end MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen– expected later this year or early 2027. The touchscreen functionality is said tocomplement the traditional keyboard and trackpad experiencerather than replace it entirely. If accurate, the move would mark a dramatic shift inApple’s long-standing stance against touch-enabled Macs. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the change stems from Apple’s “long-term observation of iPad user behaviour,” where touch interactions have been shown to enhance both productivity and overall usability. Before getting too excited about the possibility of new Mac hardware at WWDC 2026, however, it's worth noting thatsuch announcements still appear unlikely. Apple, like much of the wider tech industry, continues to face mounting pressure fromthe ongoing global memory chip shortage. Announcing new Mac models now would only place additional strain on an already constrained supply chain. visionOS – Pivoting to Smart Glasses?Will VisionOS be updated to support smart glasses? Photo: AppleCompared to Apple’s other software platforms, visionOS is still relatively young. It was specifically developed forthe Vision Proto power spatial computing experiences such as virtual displays, immersive apps, and Spatial Gallery. However,weak consumer reception to the Vision Proandgrowing competition from rivalsentering the smart glasses market reportedly led Apple toscale back its development of the Vision Pro lineupand redirect resources towards lighter, more portable wearable devices. Reports suggest Apple is now developinga version of visionOS tailored for smart glasses. Even so, recently introduced visionOS 26 features, such as Spatial Widgets and Travel Mode, may offer early clues about the type of experiences Apple intends to bring to future wearable devices. Apple is also rumoured to be evaluatingat least four different smart glasses designs, with an announcement potentiallyarriving later this yearor inearly 2027. WWDC 2026 could provide some hints of Apple’s new direction for its spatial computing strategy. For now, it seems to be exploring more mainstream wearable form factors that could integrate AI and augmented reality into everyday life. Share this article